MOVIE REVIEW - Funny People

Adam Sandler is back this week in the new Dramedy, Funny People. This movie has a real good cast of today's young comics, including Seth Rogen, Eric Bana, and many others.

This is an attempt at a "crossover movie." Not really a true comedy, not a serious drama. But rather a chance for Rogen and Sandler to shed the image of sophomoric humor movies, and make a more "adult" film. And to a degree, they do. But even though this is a relatively new day, there are some troubles here.

Front and center. This movie is two hours and twenty minutes long. Entirely too long. And in this case, it really is a killer. I am in shock the producers allowed this to trudge on as long as they did. Funny People becomes so complicated, with so many things going on it gets in it's own way time and time again. And it's a shame.

Funny People is the story of George (Sandler) a fictitious super successful comic, and movie star who is dying of cancer. He has no real friends or life. He befriends Ira (Rogen) an struggling young comic. George hires Ira to be his assistant and write jokes for him giving Ira the break of his life. Then as luck would have it experimental treatments work and George gets a second chance at life. That's the movie's strength. It's a guy in his late 40's that gets a second chance to make things right, after blowing it the first time around.

Some of that is real nice. There are some real strong moments here of nice drama, and some new challenges for our stars. There's also some real funny stand-up comic bits and dialogue that work real well and give us a few laughs. But Funny People sets out to be one kind of movie, and becomes another kind halfway through. Fatal mistake. It's just gets too darn complicated, and non - funny after a while. We just have too much in our mouths at one time, and in the end there's just too much to digest.

Funny People is a real good idea. And in the hands a more skilled movie maker, this could have worked well. Maybe another rewrite, a sharper editing tool, cutting out some secondary characters, and staying on topic, Funny People could have been so much more. It is so easy to see. Big on idea and potential, that just needed a hero behind the scenes to make it really sing. This is a movie that could be remade in 15 years, with some changes and be really slick. I was thinking this was going to be an eye-opener for Rogen and Sandler, but it's not. Too, too bad.

Rated R, and deservedly so. Lots of really harsh language and subject matter, with very graphic stand-up comedy throughout. There's probably too much of that as well. The dirty jokes get a bit old by hour two. Lots of fun cameo's do work well, and there some real bright spots in Funny People. But in the end, it's just a shame.

Funny People. It's a movie of moments. There are some great ones, and some awkward, lousy ones too. Too long for sure. Over all, not a train wreck, but definitely disappointing.